I'm kind of old, and my age has permitted me to follow "the console wars" since the Atari vs. Colecovision vs. Intellivision days. Videogames have evolved so much over the past 30 years. Witnessing that evolution has been an amazing experience. Before I get misty, let me get to the point; I've seen a lot of stuff in my time, but I've never seen anything like the battle of ideologies going on with home consoles today.
Most of that is thanks to the Wii. It's the only console to simultaneously "win" and "lose" a console generation. On one hand, the Wii has outsold its direct competition nearly two to one, and is the home to some very profitable games, like Wii Play, Just Dance 2, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. On the other hand, many developers, publishers, and gamers have been repulsed by the Wii from day one. As a result, the vast majority of today's most popular and influential third-party games aren't on the Wii, leading many gamers to consider the console a failure at best, and an embarrassment at worst.
In this episode of Constructoid, Parappa the Rapper, Mr. Resetti and myself take a look at ways that Nintendo can "win" -- and "WIN" -- in the home console space. I have more thoughts on the matter than what's in the video, though.
Before we begin, a little more about the current situation
Like I said before, this is the first time in my 30+ years on this earth that I've seen a true, definitive split in audiences on home consoles. The Master System was more or less like the NES, just with fewer games. Nintendo didn't allow blood in SNES games, but other than that, its games were more or less like those on the Genesis in style and substance. The N64 couldn't do FMV or much pre-recorded voice acting, but it was still a part of the "polygon revolution" that the PS1 and the Saturn were pushing.
No, the current console race is the first one to have a group of consumers on one end with one set of priorities, and an equally large group of consumers on the other end with an entirely different set of needs, with very little overlap between them.
There was a similar split in portables back in the early days of handhelds, with the "non-gamer" audience quickly adopting the Game Boy (mostly for Tetris), while a slightly smaller "dedicated gamer" audience flocked to the Lynx and the Game Gear. It wouldn't take too long though before the Game Gear and the Lynx went unsupported, forcing most handheld gamers to migrate over to the Game Boy and Game Boy Color.
With the Wii, that migration doesn't seem to be happening. 2010 was definitely a better year for "dedicated" gamer adoption on the Wii, with traditional games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, and Monster Hunter Tri doing well with both critics and at retail. Still, those four games were far from being as successful as titles like Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redemption, Super Street Fighter IV, and the PS3/360 versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops, amongst many others.
It all boils down to the fact that for the first time, we have two opposing ideologies on game development going head to head in the home console space. The Wii sells on its easy-to-pick-up controls, iconic visuals, reliance on classic gameplay motifs, local co-op, and a Pixar-like focus on an "all ages" audience. The PS3 and the 360 tend to actively reject all of those properties, focusing instead on highly detailed control schemes, "realistic" graphics, multiple online features, and the pursuit of proving that gaming is as "grown up" as other popular forms of entertainment (like movies and television).
With Kinect and the PS Move, the 360 and the PS3 are closing the gap between those two ideologies. It's time for Nintendo to try to close their gap as well, and I've got plenty of ideas on how they could do that.
Nintendo has likely done as much as they can with the Wii, so the bulk of this article is pointed towards what could happen with their next console -- but there is some Wii-specific stuff in here as well. Oh, and in case it isn't obvious, this stuff only applies to the home console side of Nintendo's business. When it comes to portables, they don't need advice from anybody (particularly a goofball like me)
OK, so, here we go. Time to tell the most successful game and console developer on the planet how to do its job!
Never utter the name "Wii" again
The Nintendo "Wii" may mean "an all-inclusive console for people of all ages, races, genders, and cultural backgrounds," but to most dedicated gamers, it means "pandering to my parents and my younger siblings because the GameCube failed so Nintendo has given up competing with Sony and Microsoft for my attention." In short, Wii equals "Nintendo's betrayal" to a lot of people, and it always will. Just uttering the word causes some people I know to recoil in disgust.
Nintendo needs to show these gamers that their next console is not "the Wii 2," but is instead something that's tailor made for them from the start, and what better way to do that than with a new name? Even better, Nintendo could go with something that doesn't mean penis or urine this time. They could probably get away with something like Wii (that doesn't sound quite as limp) if they want to maintain name recognition (Iiw, Fiido, Ziip, etc.), but that's still going to be a turn off for a lot of people.
Anything with weird spellings and/or unnecessary usage of the letter "i" will seem gimmicky at best, or a straight copy of Apple's "i" line of products at worst. Combine that with the potential for confusion with the multiple Wii knock-offs already out there (Zii, Qii, Tii, etc.), and Nintnedo's probably better off with going for a name that's totally new.
How about "Frank"? It's accessible, simple, but not overly soft or goofy. I know I'd immediately be interesting in a new videogame console named "Frank," regardless of who produced it. I think that gamers of the world would feel the same way.
For an ex-illustration student like me, I look at drawing, sculpture, and videogame graphics in one of two styles. There's "hyper-realism" style and "iconic" style, each with very different goals. In the 1950's days, these two styles went head to head in newspapers -- the "hyper-realism" style being championed by Alex Raymond and his students, and the "iconic" style pushed forward by Charles Schultz of Peanuts fame. Back then, newspapers were the closest thing the world had to today's "console wars."
You could say that the simplistic Mii-driven games like Wii Sports and Wii Party are the equivalent to Peanuts, and Halo, Uncharted and Heavy Rain are the equivalents to Flash Gordon, Rip Kirby, and Jungle Jim. For a variety of reasons, Schultz-style eventually become the victor in that battle on the newspaper front, but I'm not so sure the same will be true in the gaming world.
There was a time when gaming occupied the same space in people's minds as newspaper comic strips; light diversions for adults, fully engrossing for kids, and a career path for artists. With this console generation in particular, gaming has become much more than that. While gaming may still be comparable to the porn industry in terms of how much respect it gets from the mainstream media, it's much closer to the realm of Hollywood films in terms of how much money they cost to make, and how much money the generate, and how deeply they've penetrated our culture.
Just as people want variety in their blockbusters, they want variety in the games as well. People want the option of seeing Toy Story 3 and Avatar. If Nintendo wants to keep up with Microsoft and Sony in the next console generation, they're going to have to provide those options, and every option in between. Speaking of which...
Publish one T- or M-rated game, just to say you did
This one is really just for Nintendo of America. In Japan, Nintendo publishes all kinds of games, from the ultra-violent Zangeki No Reginliev, survival horror favorites like Fatal Frame, auteur-produced RPGs like The Last Story and Mother 3, obvious long-time favorites like Mario and Metroid, and of course, the sterile and tame Wii Play and Wii Party titles that have become the public face of the Wii brand.
Starting about six years ago, Nintendo of America began cutting down on publishing anything but those last two categories. I can think of at least ten Nintendo games on the GBA, DS, and Wii -- many of which are amongst my favorite titles of the past six years -- that I had to import because they were passed on by Nintendo of America. It seems that Nintendo of America is suffering from an ever-narrowing focus on what games are, and what they should be. That not only goes against their application of the "blue ocean" strategy, but more importantly, against the growth of gaming in general.
That would be so easy for them to change. The most simple tactic would be to start publishing more games from Nintendo of Japan, but sadly, I think it's come to the point where Nintendo of America needs to do more than that to prove themselves to self-identified "hardcore gamers."
I think they need to hire a big-name Western developer. Either second-party like Retro, or third-party like BioWare. Have them create a big-budget, Hollywood-style "epic" exclusive (with online multiplayer), and market the crap out of it. That's what it's going to take for Nintendo to prove to both gamers, and third-parties that they're ready to embrace the side of gaming that they currently appear to have little grasp on.
Nintendo of Japan seems to understand this already, as The Last Story is such a big-budget epic with online multiplayer. The fact that Nintendo of America may pass on the game shows just how far gone they might be. Before I get to pessimistic, I'm going to move on.
Never force us to waggle again
The success of the Wii showed the world that motion controls are legit. Likewise, the simultaneous success of the 360 (particularly in the United States), and the PS3 (particularly in Japan), have shown the world that traditional button and analog stick controls are also legit. There is no way to create a console that will please everybody without equal focus on both control methods.
Again, Nintendo of Japan already seems to get this, as the 3DS comes complete with an analog stick and a touch screen. Likewise, the next Nintendo home console needs to come packed in with some sort of dual-analog set up from the start. To be clear, Nintendo has never been as all-in for motion controls as some people make them out to be. It was a brilliant idea to make the Wii remote a functioning NES-style controller when turned on its side, giving both a traditional gameplay option and a solely motion-controlled option in one package.
Still, there are millions and millions of gamers that see the NES controller as far from adequate. They won't touch a home console unless it comes armed from day one with a dual-analog stick controller, and an army of games to go a long with it. If Nintendo can find a way to make their first motion controller have the built-in functionality of an NES controller, I'm sure they can find a way to put motion controls together with a traditional dual-analog set up. Don't ask me how they could do that. They're Nintendo; I know they could pull it off if they wanted to.
Go overboard with online
Nintendo has shown some curiosity in online services, but thus far, they're yet to fully commit to any of them. They offer WiiWare demos (sometimes), they give out free DLC (very sometimes) and they even let you play a few of their games online every once in a while. Next time around, they're going to have to do more than just dabble. They're going to have to go above an beyond to compensate for the bad reputation for online support they've earned with the Wii.
Obvious stuff like the end of friend codes; beefed-up development of online-only titles; the implementation of achievements; packed-in Wi-Fi and LAN compatibility; streamlining the online shopping experience; demos for retail and downloadable games; and online modes and free DLC for all major titles. These are all a given. (That's just the list of stuff they'd need to keep up with Microsoft and Sony.)
Beyond that though, Nintendo needs to innovate in the online space if they want to really impress gamers. Give us a home console that is 4G compatible, for the people who can't or won't bother to figure out how to get their home consoles online via the traditional methods. Give us the best netcode and servers on the planet. Give us Club Nintendo stuff if we get a high enough score in certain games. Give us things we've always wanted, and the things we could have never even imagined.
It would take nothing less than that to get a die-hard 360 or PS3 loyalist to buy Nintendo's next home console.
In Conclusion
For the record, I couldn't care less about a fair amount of the features I've just outlined. The Wii is my favorite home console of this generation, for both its top-notch first-party support, and the incredibly varied and experimental third-party library. That said, I'm not your typical "hardcore gamer," and I know that. There is a brand of gamer who sees Nintendo as everything that's wrong with gaming today, and judging by the combined sales of the PS3 and the 360 worldwide, there are just as many gamers out there with that mentality as their are gamers who subscribe to the strengths of the Wii.
That's why we won't have a "new PS2" of this generation. There is no one home console out today that has all the games and all the features that every gamer considers essential. That doesn't have to be true for the next console generation, though. The first company who can put out a console that meet the needs of the online-focused gamer, the old-school gamer, the blockbuster-budget gamer, and the motion-controls gamer -- and everything in between -- will be the one to truly claim the crown once worn by the PS2.
With Kinect and PS Move, that race is officially on, but it's far from too late for Nintendo to win it. All they need to do is truly embrace that "blue-ocean strategy" they talk about so much, and make a console that's truly built for everyone, including PS3 and 360 owners.
Jonathan Holmes is the most lovable Associate Editor on Destructoid. Catch him on videos, original editorials, and on back episodes of the Destructoid Show and MTV's Road Rules. Jonathan is a retro gamer's gamer.
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I'm with you, Holmes. It would probably be in Nintendo's best interest to do all these things, but I couldn't care less if I never see a Gears of War type game on the Wii.
The best idea on this list is certainly the online aspect. If the 3DS is any indication, they're certainly on the right track. Being able to see what my friends are playing and jump in (ala Steam) is how it's done. Achievements will definitely lure in an unsettling amount of people, as well.
Aren't only 50% of the Wiis online? I don't know what the other consoles numbers are, but they definitely need to increase that %. Whether it be with 4G like you suggested, or just having that allure of a great online component, it needs to get done.
One doesn't "win and lose" Nintendo won, end of discussion. Because you don't like the games on the system does not make it a "win and lose" when they've clearly won as the top-selling console and the one with the most innovative games.
But let's put it in clear terms: Nintendo being a "first party" doesn't exclude their games from the discussion. They make fantastic games. Nintendo games are the reason to get the system and anyone who doesn't like Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a f*cking ignorant fanboy tool.
I think Nintendo should just keep doing what they're doing. They've identified a market and they're serving that market. Let's be honest "hardcore gamers" still own Wii's because they want all the great Nintendo first party products and some of the quality third party releases (like No More Heroes and Madworld).
I think it's down to perception; just because the wii scratches a different gaming itch, doesn't make it more or less hardcore than a PS3 or 360.
Honestly, my big problem with the Wii is the number of people who hack it to run backups.
It's easy as pie. You can use either a SD card, SSBB, Indiana Jones, and Lego Batman to hack it. I'm pretty sure the Twilight hack doesn't work anymore.
There's no punishment if you do. If you do on 360, you get perma banned from live. If you do it on wii, you just sort of do.
And most of the really hardcore games were pirated more because it seems that older people are more willing to hack their console and pirate it. And with it being so friggin easy, why not? I seem to remember HOTD: Overkill being one of the most pirated wii games one year.
They've tried making hardcore games, but it seems like everytime they do, people just walk right into the internet and grab a copy for free.
"There is a brand of gamer who sees Nintendo as everything that's wrong with gaming today"
Not really sure why they shouldn't just keep ignoring these people. I'd be fine with it, their sales would be fine with it, and 99% of Wii owners would be fine with it.
"and judging by the combined sales of the PS3 and the 360 worldwide, there are just as many gamers out there with that mentality as their are gamers who subscribe to the strengths of the Wii."
Kind of silly to assume that everyone who has a PS3/360 hates the Wii.
Frankly, I think the whole idea of a divide between "hardcore" and "casual" gamers is a contrived and inaccurate one.
While it would be cool to have an "all-in-one" console, I enjoy having the different aspects of my 360/PS3/Wii. Really, the only thing I would like changed about my Wii is a solution to make games look better on my HD tv, and for Nintendo published games to GIVE ME OPTIONS FOR THE CONTROLS!
For example, if they would have let me map the horribly implemented shaking in Donkey Kong Country Returns to a damn button, I wouldn't have happily traded in my unbeaten copy to Gamestop for $35 towards Dead Space 2. It breaks my heart that they would ruin what would otherwise be an awesome game to me because of something so simple to remedy. I can't understand it.
What hardcore gamer, are they trying to get? Sony, and Microsoft fans who aren't already a Nintendo fan as well? Why would they care if they ever get these people, because guess what? They never will get the die-hard Sony, and Microsoft fanboys, no matter what they do. They will always have the hardcore Nintendo fans, and the casuals, which is apparently is all they need. They won this generation hands down in both the portable, and console space.
You win by selling the most systems, which Nintendo did. You don't win by does the hardcore gamers love Nintendo, or not. News flash. They don't and probably never will, but who cares? Nintendo doesn't need them either way. All they need is the Nintendo loyalist, and the casual market. The hardcore 360/PS3 gamers are irrelevant to Nintendo!
Fucking Parapapapappapa da Rappa...I want a hug....
I just recently bought a 360 and I still find myself coming back to the Wii for its "fluffiness" butI don't think it would be a stretch to close the bridge between the two sides.
Nintendo has no chances of winning back hardcore gamers, as long as their core business model is for everyone but...hardcore gamers. Even Nintendo's head has stated they don't like making adult games. And the other 2 systems excel in precisely that area.
As was stated by P-Dude, they've not lost in any way, simply, they target a different audience. And no amount of effort on their part is really going to change that. Why change a winning formula? The casual/family friendly audience is obviously larger than the core gaming crowd. Why switch directions when they're making so much money?
@ Everyone sticking up for Nintnedo- C;mon guys, we have to face facts. No third parties are seriously supporting the Wii anymore. Wii sales are slowing, while 360 sales are picking up in the US, while PS3 sales are picking up in Japan. There is a huge market (over 15 million if the sales of recent call of Duty games on the PS3 and 360 are any indication) that want a game that has tons of online features, "realistic" graphics, and dual analog controls.
There is absolutely no reason why Nintendo couldn't create a console that meets their needs too.
Also, like I said in the article (which was probably tl;dr for most of you) Nintendo's competition is closing in on their audience. 8 million Kinects sold and counting, right?
If Nintendo doesn't create a "catch all" console first, Sony and Microsot will, and then it will be back to Gamecube-level sales for Nintendo's next console.
I know people who only pirate Wii games because it's easier to than the PS3 or 360. These people buy all the HD games, but pirate all the "hardcore" games that's ever released on the Wii. It has nothing to do with their financial status. They do it because it's easy and it involves little to no effort to hack the system. Piracy on the Wii is at a disgusting level, yet they get offended when you call them out on it.
THE ENDING WAS GOLD
Anyway, how come you guys get over 9000 comments when you guys talk about Sony but only mere double digits with everything else?
Tis strange...
I'm going to say this right now: putting aside the fluff like motion controls, online, and graphics, this generation of consoles is one of the most balanced in the history of this industry. Each of the three has their equal share good games, shitty games, "Hardcore" games, "Casual" games. The Wii has it strengths and weaknesses, but so does the 360 and the PS3, and as someone who was guilty of getting into fanboy feuds as a kid, I can say that as an adult, each console is equal in my eyes.
@Holmes sorry but I'll be the first to tell you that unless it's the reason we aren't getting a sequel or not getting a game outside of Japan, I could care less about sales.
What I'm wondering is how Nintendo does this BETTER than the PS3 and 360? It'd be a great economical idea to make a console that could handle Red Dead or Mass Effect, but then the price inevitably goes up and then what really makes it so the console is in every home? Other than it being Nintendo, of course.
@Holmes: I'd like to see that, but I can't see them doing it. MS and Sony have tried the jack-of-all trades approach and maybe with Kinnect and Move they can encroach into Nintendo's territory. But Nintendo has established themselves in this generation as having a strong identiy; strong first party titles, casual fun titles and a family friendly approach. If they were to lose some of that, then there might not be much to differentiate them from MS and Sony (who to be honest, can be pretty interchangeable at times). I can't see Nintendo changing direction again, to try and accomodate gamers who are being serviced by two different consoles as it is.
But who know, let's face it, crazier shit has happened. :D
What is an "adult game"? How do you define a game that is "adult"? Blood? Gore? Swearing? The only "adult" games I've played has been Earthbound and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. If you didn't know, the former is a Nintendo game.
Article's only been up for an hour, and it's pretty long. Give people a chance to read it and I'm sure the douchebags on both sides will start filing in before we know it :)
Man, I'd play the shit out of system called Frank.
I really enjoyed the video John! I enjoyed your calm delivery as it wasn't too exaggerated or crazy, just truth. I spit out my Chai Tea (shut up) a little when you walked over and hugged Parappa! I'm looking forward to Episode 3!
"With the Wii, that migration doesn't seem to be happening. 2010 was definitely a better year for "dedicated" gamer adoption on the Wii, with traditional games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, and Monster Hunter Tri doing well with both critics and at retail. Still, those four games were far from being as successful as titles like Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redemption, Super Street Fighter IV, and the PS3/360 versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops, amongst many others."
As in sales? Because Mario Galaxy 2 and Donkey Kong beat Mass Effect and SF easily in that regard.
And I think PEICanada7 is right. Every company has their die hard fans. It's just that Nintendo has their die hards and a bunch of casuals, too. People like to pretend that this extra audience means that Nintendo can't also please the hardcore, but Nintendo has proven that idea wrong again and again. For those really paying attention, it's clear that the Wii has a stellar lineup of hardcore games.
The thing is, if Nintendo wants to compete for the Microsoft and Sony crowd, they have to make business decisions that sacrifice their casual crowd. And even with an ultra powerful, ultra expensive console, they aren't guaranteed to capture that audience. They are, however, guaranteed to drive the casual crowd away.
The problem with this is that Nintendo did all these things with the Gamecube. They came in third place that generation, which led to them ditching the "keep up with technology" game to innovating with something new. If Nintendo made their next console a "hardcore" console, they would probably go back to being third again (as opposed to the massive first they are now).
Whatever Nintendo do, they will never appeal to the type of "hardcore" gamers that everybody think of when it comes to the 360 and PS3.
and besides, if you consider yourself a gamer can you cannot find at least 10 games or more on any system that appeals to you, then you have no right to call yourself a gamer.
I'm going to straight up disagree with you, Mr. Holmes. Nintendo, I will argue, is the only company to stay true to the "hardcore" gaming population.
Hardcore gaming used to be, and still very much is, about gameplay. Look, I'm not saying graphics don't matter, as they do. VIDEO games, and all that. But hardcore gamers play games like DoDonPachi, Wario World, Ikaruga, Donkey Kong Country, etc. Games where hand/eye coordination MEAN something, and the only way to express deftness is to score higher than the last guy (Bulletstorm is championing this type of thing, and I LOVE it).
People who game have misappropriated the term "hardcore," to mean "including blood and gore, adult plot lines, inaccessibility, or a combination thereof." Super Mario Galaxy is more a hardcore game than Call of Duty will ever be, and it has NONE of the above. It does have brilliant gameplay, though. I love CoD, it's fun, and it IS hardcore when compared to other games, but it can't touch SMG. Likewise, SMG can't really touch a Cave brand shooter, or a Treasure shooter, for that matter.
So, not only is this term relative, but it's mis-defined according to the popular implication.
I'm at work, and so a lot of this seems maybe not as well thought out as I'd like for it too, but it gets the idea across.
Here's the thing about making motion controls optional.
The second they're optional, most developers will abandon it. If console makers do enforce it, people that go up against motion control players with dual analog are going to get stomped just like they do when they go up against mouse and keyboard players.
The solution? Unfortunately, it will be to handicap the motion and mouse/KB players, dumbing down what they can do and giving dual analog more things to even the odds, like more ironsights, auto-aim and most of the chicanery we see in popular online games today.
And let's look no further than Twilight Princess for how much the Wii version was hampered by the Gamecube version. They had to be identical so the Wiimote and Nunchuck couldn't do anything the GameCube controller couldn't do. So instead of 1:1 swordplay we got shaking to swing the sword instead of actually slashing or thrusting the blade.
Plus I feel like with No Mere Heroes 2, which allowed the CC Pro, loses a lot of its spirit when you go without the motion control. It add a visceral feeling to what would otherwise be a tepid GTE event that everyone is unified in hating. And how many other things could have been done had they not been saddled with supporting the CC Pro? Nothing really changed over the first game's combat and I feel like CC Pro had a lot to do with that.
Calling the console Frank is definitely the best idea there. I bet it would have a strange sort of resonance with a certain group of people. Other than that, yes, getting Nintendo of America to bring over a wider variety of games is a nice yet worryingly difficult dream... is it really so dependent on piracy as some are suggesting? That's sad if so; gamers don't seem to realize how they cause their own problems sometimes.
Nintendos third party support has been pretty bad since the 64. The 64 was flawed by the expensive and outdated format for the games. But the 64 was definitely the most powerful in its gen, and the gamecube was only bested graphically by the xbox - and not by much. The hardcore ignored nintendo then, so who can blame them for switching up their strategy.
I think a lot of kinects sales are due to the platform being actually different. I cant tell you how many ppl that only play games like cod were sold on kinect because, "aww dude, you dont need a controller mannnn." the very same crowd that labeled the wii as something for kids and soccer moms was hyped for kinect. Ive had friends get into the hype being xbox fans, and turn around and say they probably wont use it much. Its a trendy item, and I wouldnt be surprised if it cooled down not too long from now.
Also, I think a lot of ppl misuse the term "hardcore." folks will refer to the millions that have lined up yearly to buy cod, and pretty much only play cod or bfbc 2 as hardcore, and I dont agree with that. I think of those guys as mainstream. Hardcore to me are the numerous folks that check out sites like this and play as much as they can afford. the people that either own several platforms from the cast of the ps3, wii, 360, psp, ds, and gaming pc.
Sorry for the rambling, but the hardcore vs casual thing this gen is so sickening.
Exactly. Hardcore now refers to dudebros and neckbeards, not the people who read sites like this. The current "hardcore gamer" can't name a single game developer and only plays first-person shooters.
@ Everyone- On the topic of "hardcore" -- Here's the thing, I'm not a fan of the term at all. If you note, I never once refer to anyone as a "hardcore gamer" in this article. I do refer to the self-identified "hardcore" a few times though, as there is definitely a large contingent of people out there that is still running around calling themselves "hardcore gamers".
In my experience, those in this group tend to define themselves just as much by what games they play by what games they don't play. They were often picked on for liking videogames growing up, and as such, they now take the opportunity to pick on others for their tastes in gaming as much as possible. They'll make fun of people who play JRPGs, Mario games, indie games, text adventure games, games that don't sell, games that look weird, etc, etc. If you didn't know better, you'd think they didn't like any games at all!
They do, however, love games that they think are "cool", usually FPSs, Hollywood-style action games, and the occasional XBLA/PSN/Steam title (if it has online play). They tend to buy a lot games in general, and make Activision and EA a lot of money.
So yeah, that's who I refer to as "hardcore" in the title. Again, I don't like the term at all, but it does effectively describe a certain self-identified group, so I pretty much had to use it. I couldn't call the post "Helping Nintendo to win back the gamers who, these days, only play online shooters, big budget Blockbuster games and download only games if they are cool enough". It wouldn't fit
@ Andrew Zoschke- Agreed about the Gamecube. Nintendo tried to copy Sony on that one, and failed for it. It's a good thing that didn't try for a Gamecube2. The Wii was the perfect console for the time it was released, but that time is rapidly changing. Microsoft and Sony are rapidly copying everything Nintendo has done with the Wii. Historicly, both companies are quite good at that (particularly Sony). Nintendo will have to do something to keep up. These were just a few ideas on how they could do that.
@ Mylittlehero- I never said that Heavy Rain was a "good" game, just an "adult" one.
I don't know any kids, or even many teenagers, who would bother playing a game like Heavy Rain very long.
I pretty much agree with everything in this article
The Wii is my favorite current gen console aswell, but that's cause I'm a niche gamer. I do agree Nintendo could be doing a better job though.
It saddens me that so many people dismiss cel-shaded and cartoon style games as "kid stuff" games with bright colors that avoid realism tend to be my favorite.
Nintendo has been redeeming itself They have come a long way from E3 2009 (the horror) E3 2010 was the greatest E3 ever I don't know if it'll ever be topped, and the 3DS looks to be everything I ever wanted in a handheld and more.
Nintendo lost their way alittle bit, But I am fully confident they are back on the right track
First let me say that I've always been a Nintendo fan. I've had every single console they've put out. And the DS is my console out of all of them. It gets way more love than my Wii and PS3 combined. I'm also an older gamer who has been playing since the Atari 2600 days. That stated, let me say:
This is Nintendo's 3rd consecutive system to tank when it comes to 3rd party titles. The N64, GC amd Wii may have been financial successes to the Big "N" (especially the Wii!) but in the end, each systems game catalogue has been a veritable Ghost Town when you look at the 3rd party game selections. I hate to say it but I don't see it changing.
You state that the Wii is inferior when compared to the rest of this generation's H/W. Which is true but let's go back to the GameCube days. The GC was the top machine for it's generation, hardware-wise but that didn't help the software drought either. Pumping the hardware up for the next generation of Wii or whatever it'll be called, isn't going to help either.
Ultimately, Nintendo needs to win back the developers. That is the most important aspect I can see especially since both Sony and MS have broken Nintendo's monopoly of motion control. They really should have released an "HD Wii" with comparable graphics and muscle to the X-Box 360 (at least) by now or shortly. That would have gotten the attention of 3rd party developers and not be such a different animal to design and port for. Getting a steady stream of 3rd party developers coupled with Nintendo's own franchises would do the trick.
I have to give credit to Nintendo for doing something different for the Wii. Motion controls are actually really awesome when used minimally (No more heroes, SMG etc.). and Although I don't get gaming experiences like Bayonetta, Red Dead, and Uncharted on the Wii, I'm fine with that because I have 2 gaming consoles. It makes purchasing more than one Console easier when their is a huge difference between the 2. For example Limbo and ilomilo look really awsome, but I won't buy a 360 for them because a majority of the games I want are mulitiplatform and available on the PS3.
The Wii does enough to please the "hardcore" niche Gamer, but not enough to please the "Hardcore" FPS,Online,Realism etc. Gamer. It's fine by me but it would probably be better for Nintendo to appeal to them because the casual gamer is starting to switch to Facebook and iGadgets as their primary gaming devices.
zerocommazero makes a really great point Wii 3RD Party Support is significantly greater than the GC. Most of the few notable 3RD party GC exclusives ended up being ported to the PS2 (RE4, Viewtiful Joe, etc.)
To be fair This generation of Consoles is lasting longer than expected the GC had about a 5-6 year life span and the Wii is on it's 4th. this would normally be about the time things start cooling off, but in actually things on the HD consoles are really heating up this year (god that sounded so cheesy). Now that the motion control excitement has worn off the Wii does look extremely aged. It doesn't bother me to much as I still play my PS2, but they really need to match hardware next gen (which I'm sure they will) Nintendo does learn from their mistakes (most of the time) unlike other gaming companies (Sony)
@ GoofierBrute and Toadofsky- Nintendo should appeal to "hardcore" gamers because, like zerocommazero said, the real goal is to get the support of 3rd parties. You need "hardcore" support to get 3rd party support, because "hardcore" gamers spend a lot of money on the kinds of games that 3rd parties are making, and 3rd parties know that.
You also want to create a console that developers are excited about developing for. You want to make a console that will allow them to realize their vision of what a good game is.
And here's the scary part, 99% of the developers I've met are also "hardcore" gamers.
I kinda agree with the localization point but still I don't think that this only limits to potentially M-rated and T-rated games, because theres a bunch of good potentially e-rated games that are awesome and never see the light on the west. Still, I don't know why they take really bad decisions about what products bring and what will stay on japanese lands.
But aside of this, I think that I'm more in line with PEICanada7 and The Silent Protagonist.
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Contest:
5:40 PM on 01.27.2011 | 
Since you brought it up :)
The best idea on this list is certainly the online aspect. If the 3DS is any indication, they're certainly on the right track. Being able to see what my friends are playing and jump in (ala Steam) is how it's done. Achievements will definitely lure in an unsettling amount of people, as well.
Aren't only 50% of the Wiis online? I don't know what the other consoles numbers are, but they definitely need to increase that %. Whether it be with 4G like you suggested, or just having that allure of a great online component, it needs to get done.
Great episode/write up! Love this new series
But let's put it in clear terms: Nintendo being a "first party" doesn't exclude their games from the discussion. They make fantastic games. Nintendo games are the reason to get the system and anyone who doesn't like Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a f*cking ignorant fanboy tool.
I think it's down to perception; just because the wii scratches a different gaming itch, doesn't make it more or less hardcore than a PS3 or 360.
It's easy as pie. You can use either a SD card, SSBB, Indiana Jones, and Lego Batman to hack it. I'm pretty sure the Twilight hack doesn't work anymore.
There's no punishment if you do. If you do on 360, you get perma banned from live. If you do it on wii, you just sort of do.
And most of the really hardcore games were pirated more because it seems that older people are more willing to hack their console and pirate it. And with it being so friggin easy, why not? I seem to remember HOTD: Overkill being one of the most pirated wii games one year.
They've tried making hardcore games, but it seems like everytime they do, people just walk right into the internet and grab a copy for free.
Not really sure why they shouldn't just keep ignoring these people. I'd be fine with it, their sales would be fine with it, and 99% of Wii owners would be fine with it.
"and judging by the combined sales of the PS3 and the 360 worldwide, there are just as many gamers out there with that mentality as their are gamers who subscribe to the strengths of the Wii."
Kind of silly to assume that everyone who has a PS3/360 hates the Wii.
Frankly, I think the whole idea of a divide between "hardcore" and "casual" gamers is a contrived and inaccurate one.
Anyway, imagine what Nintendo could do if they had a slightly less powerful console than Sony or MS, allowing easier ports. WORLD DOMINATION.
@P-Dude. I applaud your Jogurt avatar choice.
For example, if they would have let me map the horribly implemented shaking in Donkey Kong Country Returns to a damn button, I wouldn't have happily traded in my unbeaten copy to Gamestop for $35 towards Dead Space 2. It breaks my heart that they would ruin what would otherwise be an awesome game to me because of something so simple to remedy. I can't understand it.
You win by selling the most systems, which Nintendo did. You don't win by does the hardcore gamers love Nintendo, or not. News flash. They don't and probably never will, but who cares? Nintendo doesn't need them either way. All they need is the Nintendo loyalist, and the casual market. The hardcore 360/PS3 gamers are irrelevant to Nintendo!
I just recently bought a 360 and I still find myself coming back to the Wii for its "fluffiness" butI don't think it would be a stretch to close the bridge between the two sides.
As was stated by P-Dude, they've not lost in any way, simply, they target a different audience. And no amount of effort on their part is really going to change that. Why change a winning formula? The casual/family friendly audience is obviously larger than the core gaming crowd. Why switch directions when they're making so much money?
There is absolutely no reason why Nintendo couldn't create a console that meets their needs too.
If Nintendo doesn't create a "catch all" console first, Sony and Microsot will, and then it will be back to Gamecube-level sales for Nintendo's next console.
I know people who only pirate Wii games because it's easier to than the PS3 or 360. These people buy all the HD games, but pirate all the "hardcore" games that's ever released on the Wii. It has nothing to do with their financial status. They do it because it's easy and it involves little to no effort to hack the system. Piracy on the Wii is at a disgusting level, yet they get offended when you call them out on it.
Anyway, how come you guys get over 9000 comments when you guys talk about Sony but only mere double digits with everything else?
Tis strange...
@Holmes sorry but I'll be the first to tell you that unless it's the reason we aren't getting a sequel or not getting a game outside of Japan, I could care less about sales.
We are now best friends.
What I'm wondering is how Nintendo does this BETTER than the PS3 and 360? It'd be a great economical idea to make a console that could handle Red Dead or Mass Effect, but then the price inevitably goes up and then what really makes it so the console is in every home? Other than it being Nintendo, of course.
But who know, let's face it, crazier shit has happened. :D
What is an "adult game"? How do you define a game that is "adult"? Blood? Gore? Swearing? The only "adult" games I've played has been Earthbound and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. If you didn't know, the former is a Nintendo game.
@Matt welch
You're a gimp.
Hmmm, come to think of it, most games are adult games.
Only children would say Heavy Rain is an adult game.
"Yogurt Jogurt shall hereby be known as Yogurt". Ha!
No, 8 million Kinects have not been sold. That turned out to be a lie, as 8 million is only the number of shipped Kinects.
And I think pieca
Article's only been up for an hour, and it's pretty long. Give people a chance to read it and I'm sure the douchebags on both sides will start filing in before we know it :)
I really enjoyed the video John! I enjoyed your calm delivery as it wasn't too exaggerated or crazy, just truth. I spit out my Chai Tea (shut up) a little when you walked over and hugged Parappa! I'm looking forward to Episode 3!
As in sales? Because Mario Galaxy 2 and Donkey Kong beat Mass Effect and SF easily in that regard.
And I think PEICanada7 is right. Every company has their die hard fans. It's just that Nintendo has their die hards and a bunch of casuals, too. People like to pretend that this extra audience means that Nintendo can't also please the hardcore, but Nintendo has proven that idea wrong again and again. For those really paying attention, it's clear that the Wii has a stellar lineup of hardcore games.
The thing is, if Nintendo wants to compete for the Microsoft and Sony crowd, they have to make business decisions that sacrifice their casual crowd. And even with an ultra powerful, ultra expensive console, they aren't guaranteed to capture that audience. They are, however, guaranteed to drive the casual crowd away.
and besides, if you consider yourself a gamer can you cannot find at least 10 games or more on any system that appeals to you, then you have no right to call yourself a gamer.
Hardcore gaming used to be, and still very much is, about gameplay. Look, I'm not saying graphics don't matter, as they do. VIDEO games, and all that. But hardcore gamers play games like DoDonPachi, Wario World, Ikaruga, Donkey Kong Country, etc. Games where hand/eye coordination MEAN something, and the only way to express deftness is to score higher than the last guy (Bulletstorm is championing this type of thing, and I LOVE it).
People who game have misappropriated the term "hardcore," to mean "including blood and gore, adult plot lines, inaccessibility, or a combination thereof." Super Mario Galaxy is more a hardcore game than Call of Duty will ever be, and it has NONE of the above. It does have brilliant gameplay, though. I love CoD, it's fun, and it IS hardcore when compared to other games, but it can't touch SMG. Likewise, SMG can't really touch a Cave brand shooter, or a Treasure shooter, for that matter.
So, not only is this term relative, but it's mis-defined according to the popular implication.
I'm at work, and so a lot of this seems maybe not as well thought out as I'd like for it too, but it gets the idea across.
The second they're optional, most developers will abandon it. If console makers do enforce it, people that go up against motion control players with dual analog are going to get stomped just like they do when they go up against mouse and keyboard players.
The solution? Unfortunately, it will be to handicap the motion and mouse/KB players, dumbing down what they can do and giving dual analog more things to even the odds, like more ironsights, auto-aim and most of the chicanery we see in popular online games today.
And let's look no further than Twilight Princess for how much the Wii version was hampered by the Gamecube version. They had to be identical so the Wiimote and Nunchuck couldn't do anything the GameCube controller couldn't do. So instead of 1:1 swordplay we got shaking to swing the sword instead of actually slashing or thrusting the blade.
Plus I feel like with No Mere Heroes 2, which allowed the CC Pro, loses a lot of its spirit when you go without the motion control. It add a visceral feeling to what would otherwise be a tepid GTE event that everyone is unified in hating. And how many other things could have been done had they not been saddled with supporting the CC Pro? Nothing really changed over the first game's combat and I feel like CC Pro had a lot to do with that.
I think a lot of kinects sales are due to the platform being actually different. I cant tell you how many ppl that only play games like cod were sold on kinect because, "aww dude, you dont need a controller mannnn." the very same crowd that labeled the wii as something for kids and soccer moms was hyped for kinect. Ive had friends get into the hype being xbox fans, and turn around and say they probably wont use it much. Its a trendy item, and I wouldnt be surprised if it cooled down not too long from now.
Also, I think a lot of ppl misuse the term "hardcore." folks will refer to the millions that have lined up yearly to buy cod, and pretty much only play cod or bfbc 2 as hardcore, and I dont agree with that. I think of those guys as mainstream. Hardcore to me are the numerous folks that check out sites like this and play as much as they can afford. the people that either own several platforms from the cast of the ps3, wii, 360, psp, ds, and gaming pc.
Sorry for the rambling, but the hardcore vs casual thing this gen is so sickening.
Exactly. Hardcore now refers to dudebros and neckbeards, not the people who read sites like this. The current "hardcore gamer" can't name a single game developer and only plays first-person shooters.
In my experience, those in this group tend to define themselves just as much by what games they play by what games they don't play. They were often picked on for liking videogames growing up, and as such, they now take the opportunity to pick on others for their tastes in gaming as much as possible. They'll make fun of people who play JRPGs, Mario games, indie games, text adventure games, games that don't sell, games that look weird, etc, etc. If you didn't know better, you'd think they didn't like any games at all!
They do, however, love games that they think are "cool", usually FPSs, Hollywood-style action games, and the occasional XBLA/PSN/Steam title (if it has online play). They tend to buy a lot games in general, and make Activision and EA a lot of money.
So yeah, that's who I refer to as "hardcore" in the title. Again, I don't like the term at all, but it does effectively describe a certain self-identified group, so I pretty much had to use it. I couldn't call the post "Helping Nintendo to win back the gamers who, these days, only play online shooters, big budget Blockbuster games and download only games if they are cool enough". It wouldn't fit
@ Andrew Zoschke- Agreed about the Gamecube. Nintendo tried to copy Sony on that one, and failed for it. It's a good thing that didn't try for a Gamecube2. The Wii was the perfect console for the time it was released, but that time is rapidly changing. Microsoft and Sony are rapidly copying everything Nintendo has done with the Wii. Historicly, both companies are quite good at that (particularly Sony). Nintendo will have to do something to keep up. These were just a few ideas on how they could do that.
@ Mylittlehero- I never said that Heavy Rain was a "good" game, just an "adult" one.
I don't know any kids, or even many teenagers, who would bother playing a game like Heavy Rain very long.
Sorry, Heavy Rain fans!
The Wii is my favorite current gen console aswell, but that's cause I'm a niche gamer. I do agree Nintendo could be doing a better job though.
It saddens me that so many people dismiss cel-shaded and cartoon style games as "kid stuff" games with bright colors that avoid realism tend to be my favorite.
Nintendo has been redeeming itself They have come a long way from E3 2009 (the horror) E3 2010 was the greatest E3 ever I don't know if it'll ever be topped, and the 3DS looks to be everything I ever wanted in a handheld and more.
Nintendo lost their way alittle bit, But I am fully confident they are back on the right track
This is Nintendo's 3rd consecutive system to tank when it comes to 3rd party titles. The N64, GC amd Wii may have been financial successes to the Big "N" (especially the Wii!) but in the end, each systems game catalogue has been a veritable Ghost Town when you look at the 3rd party game selections. I hate to say it but I don't see it changing.
You state that the Wii is inferior when compared to the rest of this generation's H/W. Which is true but let's go back to the GameCube days. The GC was the top machine for it's generation, hardware-wise but that didn't help the software drought either. Pumping the hardware up for the next generation of Wii or whatever it'll be called, isn't going to help either.
Ultimately, Nintendo needs to win back the developers. That is the most important aspect I can see especially since both Sony and MS have broken Nintendo's monopoly of motion control. They really should have released an "HD Wii" with comparable graphics and muscle to the X-Box 360 (at least) by now or shortly. That would have gotten the attention of 3rd party developers and not be such a different animal to design and port for. Getting a steady stream of 3rd party developers coupled with Nintendo's own franchises would do the trick.
The Wii does enough to please the "hardcore" niche Gamer, but not enough to please the "Hardcore" FPS,Online,Realism etc. Gamer. It's fine by me but it would probably be better for Nintendo to appeal to them because the casual gamer is starting to switch to Facebook and iGadgets as their primary gaming devices.
To be fair This generation of Consoles is lasting longer than expected the GC had about a 5-6 year life span and the Wii is on it's 4th. this would normally be about the time things start cooling off, but in actually things on the HD consoles are really heating up this year (god that sounded so cheesy). Now that the motion control excitement has worn off the Wii does look extremely aged. It doesn't bother me to much as I still play my PS2, but they really need to match hardware next gen (which I'm sure they will) Nintendo does learn from their mistakes (most of the time) unlike other gaming companies (Sony)
But why should Nintendo appeal to those type of people? Those are the type of gamers that are hurting our industry the most!
You also want to create a console that developers are excited about developing for. You want to make a console that will allow them to realize their vision of what a good game is.
And here's the scary part, 99% of the developers I've met are also "hardcore" gamers.
HAHAHA!
But aside of this, I think that I'm more in line with PEICanada7 and The Silent Protagonist.